Community

Yes, the community of Missoula is truly unique. At its core and its pride is a passionate and eclectic mix of residents who make up this former timber town that has slowly matured into a small cosmopolitan city.

It’s not everywhere that you’ll find loggers and ranchers co-existing with holdover hippies and artistic types. Add in college students, immigrants, young families, retirees, entrepreneurs, minimalists, sports fanatics, green living addicts, and everything in between, and you have a rich, vibrant, and diverse community.

Though there are differing political points of view over things like growth planning and the environment, for the most part the “live-and-let-live” code of the West still thrives in Missoula. It’s for this reason that Missoula is as often identified with its tolerance as much as with its diversity.

We don’t all have to like the symphony, organic food, Grizzly football, or back country hiking, but for the most part, we respect those who do. As our community continues to grow and evolve, this tolerance and respect for one another is what makes Missoula truly special – and a place we all call home.

"Missoula is urbane, artistic, hip...perhaps Missoula's greatest assets are a legacy of quick accomplishment and citizens positively smitten with their town."

BY BOB WIRE- There's Nothing like March Madness! After sifting through all the information I gathered from every college basketball game I watched this season, I carefully filled out my bracket.... more

By CHAUNCEY LISTON-How did I get into this fix? It started with my packing. That afternoon I decided I was going to climb the 9,300-foot peak that is Saint Mary’s in the Bitterroot Mountain Range. ... more

By JENNIFER PEPPROCK-This month, we're exted to feature MCT as Volunteer Missoula’s organization of the month! With a vibrant Volunteer Missoula profile and widely popular opportunities, MCT was an easy choic... more

By ERIN TURNER-Planting a garden is one of the best frugal methods of saving money. For just a few dollars, you can raise entire bed of produce which would cost you hundreds in the grocery store. ... more

By DONNA HULL - How long has it been since you’ve been to Blodgett Canyon, the Bitterroot Valley’s version of Yosemite? Long-time Missoula boomers have probably hiked Blodgett Canyon Trail more times than t... more

BY BOB WIRE-I am not a millennial, but I’m old enough to have taken typing class in junior high, ridden in the back of station wagons with no seat belts, and cruised around on my ten-speed with no helmet. ... more

By ERIN TURNER-It’s March. What's that mean? If you ask most, they'll say "March Madness" or St. Paddy's Day. If you ask our boys, they'll exclaim it's the "end of the pantry challenge". YEEHAW!... more

By GARRETT SLADE - It wasn’t until I had topped the final crest in the North Hills that my anxiety about the day fled. From my vantage point over Missoula the stress of the past two weeks began to melt away.... more

By JENNIFER PEPPROCK-With over 600 nonprofit charitable organizations, Missoula is an exceptionally giving community. But many Missoulians like me don’t know where to begin in their volunteering endeavors.... more

By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN- Thursday night's matchup of the Oregon State Beavers and the Utah Utes will feature two of UM's top all-time players in Wayne Tinkle and Larry Kryskowiak-now head coaches. ... more

By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN- Thursday night the Lady Griz face maybe their most significant challenge in their drive towards a possible Big Sky title and the right to host the Conference tournament.... more

By HENRY CRIST- Sometimes, little adventures change your entire perspective, and you’re a different person because of them. My adventure wasn’t a heart racing one, but it was just what I needed.... more

By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN- Fifty years ago this week Montana was rocked by the death of one of its most prominent athletes in the prime of his life. In 1965, Anaconda native Wayne Estes was on a path to be a All-... more

By NADIA WHITE - This last fall, 21 first-semester freshmen joined me at UM's School of Journalism in a class about adventure writing. We defined adventure loosely, and they wrote stories that described who the... more

By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN- On March 7, 2009 Brad Huse’s Bobcats downed the Griz 56-54 in the Big Sky quarterfinals ending UM’s season. Since then, Montana has taken off having won 116 games to MSU's mere 71 w... more

By JIM O'DAY - I was part of a small committee assigned to look into the facilities and communities being considered as the site for the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game starting in 2010. ... more